A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 229 Mouth

"Will I face discrimination because I'm good-looking?"

"You're a celebrity, of course not."

"Tsk, that's an interesting point," Lin Jianlu couldn't help but ask again, "Have you ever experienced discrimination?"

The girl's answer was crisp and clear: "Yes. Everywhere."

Lin Jianlu was so surprised that she couldn't help but turn to look at Wu Minghua, who was accompanying her during the interview. She was genuinely interested in this girl and couldn't help but ask again, "Give me an example?"

The girl smiled and gave a cute shrug. "Give an example? Weren't you just discriminating against me?"

Lin Jianlu shrugged, but before he could speak, the girl said directly, "She's too beautiful, too sharp. A girl like that should be allowed to experience some hardships and be tempered, so that her sharpness can be tempered, and that'll be enough... Is that what you think?"

Seeing the astonishment on Lin Jianlu's face, the girl smiled. "This girl is too beautiful, she looks... umm, she's suitable to be kept as a pet, but not as my deputy, my manager, to work for me. If I keep her around, I'll be seen as a lecher, and if I send her to negotiations, the other side will think I'm trying to bribe them with sex. Besides, beautiful girls are bound to be more easily seduced and could easily betray me..."

At this point, she shrugged again, even tilting her head slightly, and smiled cutely, "Speaking of which, you're much better than I imagined. Everyone says you're a womanizer, but at least now, I've personally experienced it. You're someone who clearly separates work and life. As your fan, I'm very happy. In my heart, you're even more perfect now. No wonder you can make those investments."

That's really too direct and too sharp.

When Lin Jianlu subconsciously turned to look at Wu Minghua, she saw undisguised admiration on her face—well, the smarter a woman is, the more she will appreciate her.

But Lin Jianlu couldn't help but laugh.

This inexplicably reminded him of two things—

They are never mentioned or discussed in public, but in the American entertainment industry, including the music industry, Hollywood, and even Broadway in New York, beautiful blonde girls have always been the most popular beauties among white people in Europe and America. However, among the white people in Europe and America who like this type of girl the most, there is an almost natural contempt and disdain for those beautiful blonde beauties!
They are implicitly perceived as promiscuous, easily deceived, cheap, easily manipulated, and only good for casual flings...

Etc., etc.

Lin Jianlu originally had no idea, but last year, he stayed in America for extended periods of time and interacted with all sorts of Americans, from company executives to backup dancers. As he got to know more and more people, he gradually heard this story from various groups of people.

It's strange, it's inexplicable, but in America, everyone is used to it, even the big black guys think so—Lin Jianlu doesn't know what's wrong with blonde bombshells, but he's certain that in America, it has become a stable chain of discrimination.

There's one more thing, about Li Jiaxin.

Although it was a self-justification, Li Jiaxin said many truthful things that deeply moved Lin Jianlu.

She said that pretty girls are sinful. No matter what you do, people will tacitly categorize you in the worst possible way. Even if you just smile politely at someone, you will be considered to be seducing them. If you say an extra word to another man, your boyfriend will assume that you want to cheat on him.

Since you're so beautiful, you must be cheap, slutty, promiscuous, and utterly stupid—you find a rich boyfriend, and see, wasn't I right? He's a whore, a prostitute! You find a poor boyfriend, damn it, what's so great about him compared to me? Is it because he has a big dick? Does he fuck you well? So, isn't he just a slut? A whore! A slut! A slut! A bitch!

Yes, these are basically Li Jiaxin's original words.

It's clear she swears, but it also seems true that she's deeply troubled.

However, to be honest, Lin Jianlu himself is also a "good-looking" person. He can feel the temptation all the time. It's true that he is handsome, successful, rich, and now he is also powerful. Lin Jianlu feels that as long as he is willing to beckon, there will be many girls who are willing to sleep with him immediately, even skipping the steps of dating!

The two Korean girls who are meeting in Hong Kong right now are the clearest proof of this!

However, he had never actually experienced discrimination!

Is it related to the fact that one's career path is to become a star, and one's looks are naturally on the right track? Or is it related to the fact that one became an overnight sensation with just one album, and that one succeeded first before entering places like Hong Kong and Taiwan and interacting with people?

But soon, Lin Jianlu realized that no, in fact, she had also experienced a lot of discrimination along the way. For example, when she first arrived in Taiwan and Hong Kong, she encountered a lot of "strange aesthetic" stares.

It's just that I'm confident in myself, so I've never cared.

I'm a time traveler, who the hell has the right to discriminate against me?
Don't say I'm that handsome. Even if I weren't handsome enough, at most I'd be less successful and slower to succeed, but given time, I'll definitely succeed!
How could I be overly sensitive or petty about other people's discrimination?

So... well, I'm starting to understand where this girl's sharp edge comes from!
Even inexplicably, it was as if they suddenly began to understand where Li Jiaxin's fierceness, her persistent resentment, and even her habit of swearing came from!
That's... pitiful!

On the contrary, the same top-tier beauty, Aunt Thirteen, never had such troubles. Li Jiaxin had gone through what she must have gone through as well, but Aunt Thirteen lived happily and joyfully, without any resentment.

It's probably because... Aunt Thirteen is rather stupid.

…………

In the blink of an eye, countless thoughts flashed through Lin Jianlu's mind.

But it only lasts for a few seconds.

He chuckled at first, then his smile faded, and a look of realization flashed across his face.

"Qu Lin..."

Before she knew it, she had crossed her legs, but Lin Jianlu's expression was very serious. "Let me give you a piece of advice: don't live in the eyes of others! If you hate those things, use your own success to break them! But don't face your life with anger and resentment!"

Qu Lin was somewhat stunned.

Then, for some reason, I felt like laughing.

Was he trying to teach me some philosophical principles or educate me?

he?
But Lin Jianlu's expression was very serious, and the smile that unconsciously appeared when she spoke was very warm—subconsciously making people feel a certain sincerity.

He even used himself as an example, saying, "Like me, I never care if people say I'm an actor, because I know I'm not. Actually, I'm a small capitalist! My goal is to become a big capitalist!"

Qu Lin looked at him without saying a word.

In the end, I still didn't laugh—although I didn't think this big star in front of me had the right to lecture me, at least he was sincere when he tried to say those things.

Qu Lin's gaze was complex and inexplicable, carrying a sharp scrutiny and a hint of disbelief—a somewhat laughable sincerity, tinged with clumsy effort, as if she genuinely wanted to convince herself.

How strange! Did he really think he wouldn't understand such a simple principle?
But he spoke so earnestly—as if he genuinely cared about me!
Strangely, the sharpness and surprise in Qu Lin's eyes gradually faded, and she quietly looked at the big star in front of her.

But he didn't seem to intend to say much, and quite respectful of his own intelligence. After a few simple words, he reached into his pocket but found nothing, so he smiled and said, "Sorry, I didn't bring any business cards. ...Don't mind me saying too much, it's just a personal thought. If you've decided on something someday, you can go to ATV anytime and just say I recommended you. In short, it's up to you, ATV will always be open to you!"

As he spoke, Lin Jianlu put down his leg and stood up. After Wu Minghua and Qu Lin also stood up, he smiled, tapped his head, and spoke casually. For some reason, at that moment, Qu Lin was surprised and stunned. "Intelligent people are too perceptive of this world, especially of malice, so they are very tired, they think too much, and they live a bitter life. I know! But really, it's unnecessary! And there's no need to torture yourself with such confrontation!"

After saying that, he reached out and shook hands with Qu Lin, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Qu Lin!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lin!"

Qu Lin hesitated slightly, but couldn't help herself and suddenly said, "Your theory of perception is wonderful!"

"Thank you!"

…………

The proud girl left, turning back every three steps.

His eyes still held a hint of surprise and astonishment.

The door closed, and Wu Minghua spread his hands, his face also showing surprise. "Wow, boss, you were so charming just now! I felt like you hit the nail on the head!"

He paused, then sighed, "No wonder so many girls are willing to follow you!"

Lin Jianlu chuckled and waved her hand, "Save your flattery!"

…………

The interview lasted about forty minutes.

All three interviewees were excellent, but in the end, Lin Jianlu chose the only male, He Zhiqian, to be her administrative assistant. However, she also asked Wu Minghua to talk to Zhou Jinyun to see what she was interested in. Lin Jianlu was still willing to offer an annual salary of one million Hong Kong dollars to hire her as her personal assistant.

Of course, Qu Lin, who was perhaps the most outstanding one, was rejected by Lin Jianlu.

Lin Jianlu drank another cup of hot coffee brought by Wu Minghua's assistant, chatted with her about the construction schedule of the two Times Squares in mainland China, and then got up and left.

There's a drinking party tonight; I promised Jackie Chan yesterday at the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony.

But it was still a bit early, so he went over to see Gong Li, even putting on sunglasses and accompanying her downstairs for a walk on the nearby beach—he was quite experienced in this job, having accompanied several pregnant women before.

In late April, the weather in Ganggang was nice, sunny and breezy.

The two were taking a walk, followed by several bodyguards and servants at a distance. It seemed that many pedestrians they encountered on the road noticed something was amiss, and some frequently turned around to look at them, probably recognizing them. However, Lin Jianlu didn't seem to care much these days. Gong Li's pregnancy wasn't a big deal, but under normal circumstances, she had been living in Hong Kong for half a year, and in her daily activities and outings, she didn't pay much attention to concealing it. Moreover, her friends in Hong Kong, such as Maggie Cheung, kept coming to visit her. It was likely that the Hong Kong media had already gotten wind of it, but so far, no media outlet had reported on her pregnancy.

It's not that the news has no value, it's that the main characters behind the news are not to be trifled with.

As long as the media doesn't report on it extensively, and there are only a few minor discussions among the public, Lin Jianlu basically doesn't care.

They strolled hand in hand, the afternoon sun shining on the pregnant woman's face, making it rosy and highlighting her naturally radiant glow.

That was a light of happiness.

She has been diligently preparing for the baby's birth, including diapers, disposable diapers, baby clothes, baby shoes, baby blankets, baby hats, and so on. Her smile never fades as she talks about these things.

Honestly, judging solely by looks, Lin Jianlu has always felt that she's barely even at the T1 level. It takes personal charisma and even presence to instantly elevate her to T0.

However, in Lin Jianlu's mind, she has never been solely focused on appearance.

They don't even seriously consider the other person's acting skills or screen image.

He really liked the free and easy spirit that Gong Li possessed, a quality unique to women from the North. He also really liked how she became pregnant, especially after her recent trip to Hong Kong to see her again. He noticed an increasing amount of gentle femininity in her. Pregnancy and childbirth are such strange things. It seems that even the most career-oriented women, once they reach thirty, immediately awaken some kind of gene in their blood. And once they become pregnant, they quickly experience an indescribable sense of contentment and gentle happiness.

When Maggie Cheung visited the film set, after they had sex that night, she nestled in Lin Jianlu's arms and talked about visiting Gong Li. She said, "She is so happy. I could feel it as soon as I saw her. She was so full of happiness that it was almost overflowing."

Yes, she's even a year older than Gong Li. According to her, in recent years, she's gradually lost her ambition and is completely indifferent to acting. However, she often finds herself grappling with the anxieties of life after thirty—should she get married? Who should she marry? What exactly is marriage? Is it okay to never get married and live a single life? Being alone is a bit lonely, so should she at least find someone and start a relationship?
In short, middle age is boring. Especially after losing clear career goals, life becomes increasingly dull.

She had reportedly never considered having children before, always finding the idea of ​​childbirth terrifying. However, after visiting Gong Li, she said that seeing the happiness on Gong Li's face made her realize that pregnancy and childbirth might not be so scary after all.

But she was unwilling to have a child with Lin Jianlu.

She said, "You have so many girlfriends, and each of them has a child for you. How many children would you have? Each child would receive very little fatherly love from you! Even if I were to have a child, I would definitely find a man who can provide fatherly love, marry him, and then have a child."

But, well, during my break in Hong Kong this time, when I went to her house, she said, "It's okay not to use a condom, it shouldn't be... that easy to get pregnant, right?"

whispering sound……

I had drinks with Cheng Long that night. He didn't invite anyone else; it was just the two of us drinking and chatting.

However, he later mentioned a younger sister-in-law named Wu Qili. Lin Jianlu had never even heard of her before. It was only after Cheng Long told her that she learned that the younger sister-in-law had actually debuted at ATV. She was the winner of the 1990 ATV Miss Asia Pageant and had been working at ATV for many years, but had also participated in the filming of several movies.

Yes, I'm currently planning to switch jobs to TVB when my contract expires.

She doesn't mean she needs your help; she genuinely wants to go to TVB.

Oh, I get it now.

I don't know if ATV had this rule in the past, but I'm sure it doesn't exist here.

No pursuit or killing!

"Let's clink glasses. Don't worry, brother," Cheng Long laughed heartily.

…………

I went to the small outer residence as promised that evening.

If language communication is not smooth, it becomes much more boring.

Lin Jianlu brazenly moved into Song Hye-kyo's room, making the young beauty feel triumphant when facing Kim Seok-sun. She was petite and usually quite shy. Lin Jianlu didn't know or wasn't sure what Korean girls would be like in twenty or thirty years, but at least for now, seventeen-year-old Song Hye-kyo still retained a strong traditional idea that "girls should be shy," which Lin Jianlu liked.

But tonight, she cried out.

Despite her efforts to relax, she couldn't be as alluring as Aunt Thirteen or Xu Qing, but her naive desire to be more seductive only made her more endearing.

So when they met again the next morning, she clearly caught a glimpse of resentment in Jin Xishan's eyes—Lin Jianlu's running back and showering was probably a bit too loud, which woke her up. So when Lin Jianlu finished showering and hadn't even dried herself off, she rushed into the bathroom.

…………

The keyboard clattered and clicked.

He is currently writing the plot outline for "If Love Has a Destiny"—Lin Jianlu is not very good at writing, so it is a bit messy. In fact, much of it is a very sensory and emotional thing he left behind after watching movies in his previous life. It can be barely considered as him conveying his requirements and feelings to the readers.

It doesn't matter; he only intends to produce this outline.

Not to mention Media Asia Films, which employs a group of professional screenwriters, or if all else fails, they can find screenwriters elsewhere. There are many screenwriters in Hong Kong, and they are generally quick writers and versatile. Just give them the outline and let them refine it, write the plot and dialogue.

If things don't look right, we can just send it back, discuss and revise it together, and polish it over and over again.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Lin Jianlu casually answered, and the next moment, Guan Zhilin pushed the door open and poked half her body in. "Wow, working so hard so early in the morning?"

Lin Jianlu looked up and saw her. She subconsciously raised her wrist to check the time. Sure enough, "It's almost eleven o'clock, big sister. It's almost lunchtime. Are you still waking me up?"

She stuck out her tongue, closed the door, and awkwardly came in. When she got behind him, she suddenly leaned on Lin Jianlu, hugged his neck, and pleaded, "Do I really have to go learn English? Ah... I don't want to go!"

Lin Jianlu chuckled and patted her hand. "Yes, we'll definitely go public in America. And you are the tech hero who founded China.com. You'll be facing countless microphones, so of course you need to be fluent in English, speak eloquently, and have a perfect London accent!"

She was at her wit's end, rubbing against Lin Jianlu repeatedly, but couldn't say anything else.

I could tell that she was actually interested, but she was a little hesitant and afraid of difficulties and fatigue.

She's over thirty now. Although she's always having fun and having someone to back her up makes it even better, even someone as playful as her seems to be finding middle age boring. Before Lin Jianlu came to support her, she had already begun to fall into a kind of indescribable decadence and anxiety, doing nothing every day, feeling both bored and guilty.

Therefore, the blueprint that Lin Jianlu described to her did indeed move her.

Her English foundation wasn't very good; she could speak some daily conversations, but it wasn't fluent. So she decided to improve her English and develop a fluent London accent. Once the investment was finalized and she became the chairman of the board of directors of China.com, she would have the company's professionals teach her, so that she would at least understand what a computer is, what the internet is, and what the significance of a portal website is!
They even need to learn some insider terminology to demonstrate their in-depth research and mastery of internet technology—even if it's just a charade, they have to maintain a proper attitude!
They had lunch together, and then Aunt Guan reluctantly went out to Donghua Real Estate to have Wu Minghua tutor her in English. Lin Jianlu only took a short walk after lunch to digest her food before returning to her study on the second floor to continue working and writing her outline.

Not only for movies and TV series, but also for writing outlines for two variety shows.

Lin Jianlu is preparing to create a "Millionaire Challenge," not the later Korean "Monopoly." Instead, he plans to make a quiz game similar to "Slumdog Millionaire," with a real million Hong Kong dollars prize for the grand champion. The game itself isn't particularly new; quiz games have been around for ages. But the million-dollar prize is certainly a compelling gimmick.

Hong Kong is a purely commercial society with a collective worship of money, so this kind of game is definitely profitable.

Let's give it a try. It's not a major production anyway. I've been watching ATV for a while now, and their so-called variety shows are just awful and incredibly boring. It's perfectly normal that they can't beat TVB—even a little change would be appreciated!

Then, she also planned to do another quiz show, which Lin Jianlu used to watch a lot when she was a child in her previous life. It was a CCTV program called "Happy Dictionary" or "Happy Great Dictionary," it didn't matter, since it was also a quiz show. To be honest, Lin Jianlu had no memory of the specific game levels or how they were set up. What she remembered most after many years was the exceptionally sweet smile of the female host, who seemed to be named Wang Xiaoya.

Hmm, it should be categorized as an educational program.

But, that doesn't matter.

The important thing is that this kind of program can carry out its own agenda—no propaganda or educational method can compare to subtle influence. By creating such a program and trying to make it more entertaining, and stuffing it with a lot of the glorious history of the past five thousand years, it is actually conducting patriotic education.

You may not love the mainland, but you can love our great Chinese nation and our splendid and long-standing civilization spanning five thousand years—first, gradually find a sense of national identity and national pride!
Hong Kong people have been ruled by the British Empire for so many years, and the British have a history of doing bad things. Over the years, they have probably planted a lot of seeds of discontent and burdens in Hong Kong's education system. They either resort to bloodshed and head-on confrontation to force people to submit, or they can only carry out propaganda in a subtle way.

Yes, this is another way of making a statement—leader, you see, I'm not just making empty promises to serve the country; my TV station and I are genuinely doing things seriously!
In short, with April almost over and The Matrix set to start filming in mid-May, Sylvia Chang had already called twice to urge him to leave. But before heading to America, Lin Jianlu felt that he needed to make some more arrangements before he could leave with peace of mind for several months.

And so, there was another long stretch of clattering keyboard.

Just over ten minutes into her writing, her phone rang. Lin Jianlu picked it up, glanced at it, and answered, "Hello, sis, what's up?" — It was Shi Nansheng calling, "Boss, I need to discuss something."

"You speak."

"Are you really not going to get involved in Ah Xing's matter?"

Lin Jianlu stopped what she was doing and frowned slightly. "What? Did he ask someone to get through to you?" Shi Nansheng said, "Yes! But that's a small matter. He came to me before, and I told him I don't have that much influence to protect you, and Mr. Xiang wouldn't give me face either. But this time he asked Liang Chaowei and Liu Jialing. You know, Liang Chaowei is a good friend of his. They were already very close before he even joined the TVB training class, and they've always been close. He asked them to tell me that Ah Xing now understands that without a powerful backer, he really can't survive. But he also feels that since he has to follow a powerful backer anyway, he'd rather follow you..."

Ah……

Lin Jianlu had nothing to say about Stephen Chow's artistic talent and works. Although he didn't worship him to the point of worship, he at least genuinely admired him. However, he wasn't particularly interested in making him a big shot.

Yes, he can remain popular for many more years, and even many, many years later, when he's older and can no longer act, he can still make a lot of money as a director—being his boss means making money is no problem, and theoretically, he doesn't feel guilty about earning that money. But conversely, he'll definitely think that you're exploiting him, using him to make money in the long term, and taking advantage of him. So he won't bother earning that money.

"Sister, you know what kind of person he is. It's not that I don't want to get involved, it's just that I don't want to give people something to say, like I'm just after his money and making him work like a slave for me! I don't need the little money he earns, it's enough for me to just watch him from afar and appreciate his work!"

“I know! My sister knows! Everyone says that Mr. Lin is always generous. He never takes advantage of anyone and is always very generous! What is personal charm? You are it!”

"To be honest, I really dislike those so-called playboys. They're just fickle, lustful, and can't control themselves. But you're different. From the first time I met you, I genuinely admired you. Now you see, everyone in the world knows that Lin Jianlu is a womanizer with a bunch of lovers, but when I talk to people and interact with so many people, no one speaks ill of you!"

“Everyone thinks that it’s a girl’s freedom to be with Mr. Lam, and she’s not at a disadvantage. You’ve never wronged any girl! The whole of Hong Kong can see that they’re with you, and they’re all happy. They’re happy every day, isn’t that great? I think it’s great!”

"Does a relationship have to be one-on-one for it to be considered love? I think what you're doing counts too!"

“Otherwise, if Ah Xing simply apologized and went back to Yong Sheng, Mr. Xiang would definitely welcome him warmly and wouldn’t embarrass him. Why would he insist on coming to you?”

She hadn't said more than a few words when Lin Jianlu began to show a bitter smile.

Okay, Shi Nansheng is good at persuasion...

And thinking about it again, well, getting Stephen Chow on board isn't bad either. As for what he thinks after he joins us, let him be. We can treat it as a business partnership—I'll protect you and shield you from Win's Entertainment's oppression and blockade, and you'll give me a few good movies and help me make some money.

Well, it can also help me promote a couple of young actresses.

"Sister, you really are... How does he plan to seek refuge with me?"

"Hey, the reason I called you and tried to persuade you even though I knew you didn't want to get involved is because Ah Xing is really sincere this time! It's not a co-production or anything like that; he wants to invite you to invest in his company, Star Overseas, and he wants you to be the major shareholder while he becomes a minor shareholder!"

Wow, that's quite rare!

Would Stephen Chow be so generous as to hand over the empire he painstakingly built with "The God of Cookery" to me to become a major shareholder?
Lin Jianlu was hardly convinced. "Really?"

"Really! Liu Jialing said that Ah Xing went drinking with Ah Wei, and Liu Jialing was there too. She gave him a piece of her mind. You know, Liu Jialing has quite a sharp tongue..."

"Hey, don't think she's quiet in front of you. When we play cards or eat together, she talks a lot. She's eloquent and outspoken. Even Wang Fei often can't out-argue her!"

"This time, Liu Jialing told him, 'Either you play by yourself, or the Xiang family won't dare to send someone to kill you. What era are we living in? Even the triads aren't that bold. If they really dared to send someone to kill you, you should just hide in the Hong Kong Garrison. They wouldn't dare to chase you down. At most, you'll get beaten up a few times. They won't keep beating you. If they find you're unrepentant, there's nothing they can do. At worst, you'll be disrupted at the beginning, making filming a little more difficult!'"

"But if you don't have the guts to hold on, you'll still have to rely on the big boss!"

"It's good to take shelter under a big tree. Don't always feel like everyone is taking advantage of you. You're great at acting, but without a big shot supporting you or giving you opportunities, how did you become famous in the first place? Now that you're famous, do you think everyone else is a bloodsucker taking advantage of you?"

"Anyway, it's said that Liu Jialing gave him such a lecture that he couldn't speak. The next day, he called Liu Jialing and asked her to come and plead for him. Liu Jialing didn't dare to ask you, so she came to me!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianlu couldn't help but sigh.

"Alright! Sigh... I'll take care of things with the Xiang family. You talk to him first, get the general idea out of him, and once you've discussed it to a reasonable extent, I'll arrange for someone to connect with his company and finalize the specific investment details."

Shi Nansheng was very happy. "That's right! Whether you're taking advantage of Ah Xing or Ah Xing has finally found a good backer and will have a bright future, we don't need to rush. In a few years, everyone will have their own opinion! To be honest, Ah Lu, we're not doing this for any other reason than to say that Ah Xing is really talented, but he is indeed a bit naive. You're protecting him so that he can focus on making movies in the future. It's a good deed and does good for the entire film industry!"

Lin Jianlu laughed heartily, "Sister, you have such a mouth..."

(End of this chapter)